GURUN, MALAYSIA, February 3, 2001: Seventy Hindu devotees are walking barefoot for 109 km for the Thai Pusam festival on Wednesday. Wearing saffron-colored robes and sarees, the group began a five-day journey from the Kedah state capital on Thursday and is expected to reach Penang on Monday evening. The purpose of the journey is for the devotees to fulfil their vows and to get blessings, according to Dr. Ramasamy K.M.S. Chockalingam Chetiar, who is heading the group. He said the group will pay homage to more than 25 temples along the way, including those at Sungai Petani, Kepala Batas and Butterworth, before reaching their destination. Everyone in the group is required to have been on a vegetarian diet for at least two weeks prior to the journey.

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